Doha – Morocco’s Ambassador to Lebanon, M’hammed Grine, met with Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam in Beirut on Wednesday, pledging to strengthen bilateral relations between the two nations.
During the meeting, Ambassador Grine congratulated Prime Minister Salam on the formation of the new Lebanese government and its recent vote of confidence from Parliament. The discussions focused on exploring new opportunities for cooperation between the two countries.
“This meeting provided an opportunity to explore new horizons in this new era to develop relations between Lebanon and Morocco,” Grine stated after the talks. The ambassador stressed the shared values uniting both countries across various domains.
Prime Minister Salam expressed his commitment to reinvigorating bilateral relations across multiple sectors during the discussions.
This diplomatic engagement follows Morocco’s active involvement in Lebanon during the Israeli military operations. The conflict resulted in at least 3,961 deaths and 16,520 injuries across Lebanon by November 26, 2024.
In October 2024, during an international conference in Paris attended by over 70 countries, Morocco reaffirmed its support for peace and stability in Lebanon.
At the conference, which raised more than $800 million in humanitarian aid for Lebanon’s war-affected population, Fouad Yazourh, Morocco’s Ambassador and Director General of Bilateral Relations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, called for an immediate ceasefire and respect for Lebanese sovereignty.
Following the US-brokered ceasefire implemented on November 27, Morocco’s Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita described it as a “positive development” that needed to be respected and consolidated.
Speaking at a press conference in Rabat, Bourita underlined the importance of preserving Lebanon’s unity and territorial security, while noting that some violations had occurred in the ceasefire’s implementation.
The bilateral relationship has seen tangible support from Morocco in recent years.
In the wake of the devastating Beirut port explosion in August 2020, Morocco immediately dispatched urgent medical and humanitarian aid, including a field military hospital staffed by 100 personnel, including 14 specialized doctors.
The facility included an operating wing, hospitalization units, radiology equipment, a sterilization unit, a laboratory, and a pharmacy.
Morocco led international aid efforts with 18 planes delivering a total of 295 tons of basic foodstuffs, medical equipment, and COVID-19 supplies, making it the largest contributor among all responding nations at the time.
The country provided 22 tons of food aid to the Lebanese army in April 2021, with plans to deliver a total of 90 tons across eight flights.
This aid was received at Rafic Hariri International Airport in Beirut as part of King Mohammed VI’s initiative to support the Lebanese military during the country’s economic crisis.
Lebanon is among the countries that maintain strong support for Morocco’s territorial integrity. In June 2024, Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib reaffirmed this position when he brought attention to the “historical and deeply rooted fraternal ties” between Beirut and Rabat while renewing his country’s rejection of any threats to Morocco’s security and territorial integrity.
